Standard Life’s UK international bond saw further increases in new business activity over the past year amid tax changes, particularly due to reforms affecting UK resident non-domiciled individuals and the future taxation of inherited pensions.
Warren Bright, head of retail intermediary and private client distribution at Standard Life, told IA that the firm has continued to see ‘growing demand’ for international bonds, and it expects to see it to see some of the biggest growth over the next few years.
“In 2025, changes to capital gains tax (CGT) led advisers to recommend international bonds to a broader range of clients than in previous years. This, in turn, has helped create a more stable market, less dependent on one‑off, time‑dated changes which have delivered more consistent flows of new business,” he said.
“The Standard Life International Bond is well‑established, and our ambition is to retain our top three position in the international bond market. Against a backdrop of wider industry changes, including in IHT and CGT, there remain opportunities for growth as advisers look for tax-efficient solutions in wealth planning. We have further strengthened our offering with the recent launch of the Flexible Reversionary Plan, available exclusively with the Standard Life International Bond.
“We are also seeing growing demand for insight and support, – our recent webinar on onshore and international bonds attracted more than 2,000 registrations and generated over 60 follow‑up questions.
“Our research with advisers tells us that onshore and international bonds are among the non‑pension products expected to see the greatest growth in popularity amid the rule changes, and we remain focused on supporting this demand as interest in tax‑efficient solutions continues to rise,” he added.
Across 2025, new premium levels across the sector are estimated to have increased by over 50 per cent and the number of policies up by over a quarter.
